Little Mary Quite Contrary
by Ilzzell
Summary: Pre-series. 6 year old Lady Mary and Anna meet each other in the gardens of Downton. The start of a lifelong friendship.
1. Chapter 1

**In the latest Downton book I read that Anna and Mary might have known each other since they were little. This inspired me to write about these two young girls. In this story they are both 6 years old. **

* * *

A young blonde girl walks over the estate holding her fathers hand. The contours of Downton Abbey come in view.

"Papa, who lives in that big house?" Little Anna asks.

"In that house lives a girl Mary, who is 6 years old, just like you. She lives with her father, mother and 2 younger sisters." Her father replies.

"So big only for them?! Is she a princess?" Anna's eyes are wide open in shock.

"No not a princess, but it comes close. Their servants live there as well. The cook, butler, housekeeper, and lots of others."

They walk into a walled rose garden.

"Look I've planted these roses last year. Would you like to have one?"

"May I papa? I especially like those red ones."

"Of course sweetheart. I'm the gardener so I can do with them what I like."  
He smiled, cut off one of the roses, made sure it didn't have any thorns and put it in her hair. "Now you look just like a princess of the house." He kissed her forehead.

She happily looked around the beautiful garden her papa had created. Suddenly she saw some movement behind a tree. She walked up to it and then a girl of her height with brown hair appeared.

"Ah Lady Mary, meet my daughter Anna."  
"How do you do." Mary said to Anna and Anna did a little curtsey.

"Mr. Smith may I have a rose too?" Mary asked. "Of course you can. Which colour would you like?" He replied.

"I quite like a red one, just like Anna has." Mary smiled at Anna.

"Naturally" he cut another rose and wanted to give it as Anna interrupted: "let me put it in your hair, if you like."  
Mary bent down a little so Anna could put the flower in Mary's hair.

"You two look lovely." Mr. Smith smiled at the girls. "Now Mary where is your governess? She must be wondering where you are."

"Oh Edith has tripped on the gravel so they went inside to clean her up."

"In that case let me bring you inside, you can't walk around here unattended. Come on you little ladies."

They walked through the garden to the servants' entrance. On the way Mary and Anna chatted away. In the courtyard they met Mr. Carson.

"Mr. Smith what are you doing here on your day off?" He asked surprisingly.

"I came to show my little Anna the house and gardens, and on the way I found this other little lady." Mr. Smith gestured at the two girls who were still deeply in conversation.

"Lady Mary! We were wondering where you were. Come inside at once and take that flower out your hair." Carson said stern.

"I keep the flower, I like it and Anna has one too."

Carson grumped and let Mary in. He turned to Mr. Smith "Are you staying for tea Mr. Smith?"

"Please papa, can we?" Anna looked at her father.

"Very well, but you won't be getting your tea with Lady Mary. She'll go upstairs and we stay down in the servants' hall."

As they got inside Mary was just ushered up the stairs "Bye Anna, nice to meet you." She waved at her new friend before disappearing through the door.

* * *

**Please review. I have another chapter coming up. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry about the massive delay for posting chapter 2. Halfway I didn't like the way it was going so changed it and eventually got back to the first idea. Hope you'll like it. **

* * *

"Mr. Carson"

He looked up from his work and saw little Mary standing in the door opening.

"What are you doing down here Mary? Can I help you with anything?" He asked the girl.

"I was wondering if you could ask Mr. Smith to bring Anna sometime. I would like to play with her." She said sweetly.

"Isn't there enough to play in your nursery with your sisters and Nanny?" He wasn't too sure about the young lady developing a friendship with a servant's daughter.

"I like Anna, she doesn't act like a baby as everyone else does. Could you ask, please?"

"I will ask Mr. Smith, and your papa, and will let you know."

"Thank you Mr. Carson!" She gave a broad smile and left the room. He would try his best; he did anything to make that little girl happy.

Lord Grantham agreed on the visit, as long as the girls would behave and it wouldn't become a regular visit.

Anna seemed just as eager to see Lady Mary again. According to her father she hadn't stopped asking about her after their visit and he was pleased his little girl had made such an impression on the earls daughter.

The next morning Mr. Smith arrived at Downton with Anna.

The nursery maid came up to Anna as they walked into the servants' hall. "Ah Anna I've been waiting for you, I'm miss Nancy. Shall we go up?"

She took her hand and they walked up the stairs to the nursery room. On their way Anna looked around at all the grandeur.

When they got to the nursery miss Nancy opened the door and said "lady Mary I've got a visitor for you."

Mary came running to the door "Anna! Wonderful to see you again. Come in, come in!"

Anna shyly stepped into the large room filled with toys. It was as if she'd walked in a toyshop, but one they were actually allowed to play with.

"Ladies, I'm just checking on little Sybil. Mary will you entertain our guest, but don't leave the room." Miss Nancy said.

"Of course Miss Nancy," Mary replied. She turned to Anna "what would you like to do?"

Anna's eyes were drawn to a massive dolls house. "Wow I have never seen such a dolls house".

"It's a model of this house. Look we are here now." Mary pointed at a room that indeed looked a lot like the room they were in. "This is my bedroom, and Sybil's where Miss Nancy is now."

"Whose are these rooms?" Anna pointed at the west wing.

"Oh those are guest rooms, I'm not allowed there. Mama says there is nothing for me to see anyway."

Anna thought at the time Aunty Cathy came to stay and she got her bed while Anna had to sleep on the sofa. Here they could have 20 guests and all have their own bedroom.

They were playing with the dolls in the dollhouse when miss Nancy came in with Sybil and Edith. Edith went up to the girls "may I play with you?"

"We can't have any more people around the house." Mary said snappy.

Edith was on the verge of crying when miss Nancy came in between "why don't you play hide and seek? With Anna you have enough children to play."

They all agreed and decided to play in the servant's quarter to keep it confined.

They played a couple of games until it was Edith's time to seek.

As she closed her eyes and started to count, Mary gestured at Anna to follow her. "Let's hide in Mr. Carson's pantry. Edith is scared of him so she won't look there and if she does we can hide in the cupboard."

Anna followed her, as they sat down in the pantry she asked, "Why don't you want to play with Edith?"

"She annoys me, always following around and copying me. Sybil is only a baby so there's no fun and everyone only seems to care about her baby cries."

"I wish I had a baby sister." Anna says looking at her hands.

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"No," she replies, still looking down, "my mother died with the birth of my baby brother and he died too. It's just me and my dad now."

"Oh" Mary doesn't quite know what to say, she strokes Anna's hands that are still on her lap. "Well we can share my sisters, they are more than enough for me."

Anna looks up and smiles "thanks. Now let's go find Edith before she doesn't want either of us as a sister."

Arm in arm they left the room. They found Edith in the kitchen.

"Where were you?" She exclaimed.

"Why in Mr. Carson's pantry, we were thirsty so we had some tea." Mary said.

"But it seems you didn't do too bad yourself." Anna smiled and gestured at the cup of cocoa next to Edith on the table.

"No but it's not very nice to ignore your sister while you were playing." Nanny said stern to Mary, standing in the doorway. She turned to Anna:

"Anna, your father is waiting for you in the hall and ready to go. Ladies say goodbye before we go up."

"Bye Anna, I hope you come back soon." Mary said.

"I hope so too, thank you for today it's been great." Anna replied with a big smile. "It was nice to meet you too Edith, and send my love to little Sybil."

Miss Nancy ushered Anna into the hall where her father stood waiting and she took the two Ladies upstairs.

"Did you have a good time?" Her father asked as they walked back home.

"Oh yes, it's just like having 3 sisters for a day, but I'm happy to go back home with you papa."

She cuddled her father and they continued their walk arm in arm.


End file.
